Senior Tamil Nadu police official dies by 'suicide'

In a tragic incident, a senior Tamil Nadu-cadre IPS officer allegedly killed himself using his gunman’s pistol at his official residence in Coimbatore on Friday morning. 45-year-old C Vijayakumar, a 2009 IPS officer, was serving as deputy inspector general of police (Coimbatore range).

Preliminary reports suggest that Vijayakumar shot himself due to personal reasons and he was under depression for the past few months. However, Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal said R Sudhakar, Inspector General of Police (Coimbatore range), is conducting a detailed inquiry into the suicide of his colleague.

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Sources said Vijayakumar, who had served as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Kanchipuram, Cuddalore, Thiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts, had attended the family wedding of a police officer last evening. “He left his home at around 6.45 am for his regular morning walk. But he walked to his camp office within the premises and asked for his gunman’s pistol. Within minutes, he shot himself,” a senior police officer said.

The officer also said Vijayakumar, who was also suffering from sleep deprivation, was taking medication for depression. They ruled out work load or work pressure for his suicide. Hailing from Theni in southern Tamil Nadu, Vijayakumar’s last posting was in Chennai as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Anna Nagar.

A Arun, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), who rushed to Coimbatore, said he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and was under medication. “He was taking tablets for depression,” the ADGP said.

Sources also added that Sudhakar was helping the DIG to overcome stress and spoke to the officer’s family and ensured that they came from Chennai to be with him in Coimbatore. Jiwal paid respects to Vijayakumar at his native village in Theni district and carried his body along with Sudhakar and other police officers.

Officers who worked with him said Vijayakumar, who joined as DSP after passing the TNPSC exam, cracked civil services in 2009 and joined IPS. They also recalled him as a “brilliant” and “alert” officer who cracked several cases.

Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled Vijayakumar’s death saying his passing was a loss to the state and the police force.

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said the government should order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the officer’s suicide.

BJP chief K Annamalai, himself an ex-IPS officer, said he was shocked to learn the death of a senior officer by suicide and sought to know what happened to the recommendations submitted by Justice (retired) C D Selvam on police reforms.

“We cannot take the suicide of a senior police officer lightly. The DMK government should institute a detailed inquiry to go into the cause for Vijayakumar’s suicide,” Annamalai said, and demanded a court-monitored probe into Vijayakumar’s suicide.